Thrilla in the Grilla George Foreman Grill

This is a great small appliance for those who strive to eat healthy and cook quickly. Those few who do not care abut eating healthy will love this grill nonetheless.

The indoor folding grill is akin to a barbecue, without the smoke, the fire, and the wait. Two minutes to grill fish - salmon and tuna are typical favorites, but why not try the wonderfully delicate seabass. Three minutes to grill chicken breast, and healthy veggies (e.g. eggplant, zucchini). Burgers, steak, lamb or sausage - nothing takes more than 5 minutes.

Marinades are what makes the grilling interesting. In the Messy Gourmet style you can have fun with different marinade mixtures. For a Greek taste, use garlic, lemon, olive oil and oregano. For a Chinese zing, use soy sauce and ginger. In a plate,bowl or ziplock bag pour the marinade mixture over the meat or vegetable to be grilled and refrigerate for at least one hour. I tried the Greek marinade on chicken breasts and was floored by the succulent juicy taste.

Cleaning the grill
The grill is most definitely a messy tool. When the grill is sizzling the fat and marinade drain down to a drip tray. Once done you can use the plastic like fork provided to scrape off the grease. Once the grill is cool, wipe with an absorbent paper towel. The instructions are quite adamant that you should not immerse the grill in water.

The Foreman grill comes in several sizes. You can even buy them in iMac type colors (blueberry) with a bun warmer. Don't be fooled by the color marketing gimmick, the bun warmer is not useful and non-functional. I like the small grill as it is easy to store. You can quickly make more quantities if needed.

Grill some tuna (medium rare if you are assured of the freshness) , and watch "When we were Kings" where Foreman and Ali (mostly) rumble in the jungle.

How to clean the grill:

The instructions say : let it cool and scrape off goop with the plastic tool and then with a sponge or paper towel.

Our readers have discovered other ways of cleaning the grill. Before trying the below suggestions, please read our disclaimer.

I got a GF Grill for Christmas the year before last. At first, I found it somewhat a pain to clean. (I was following the instructions.) Then I had an inspiration. Once the food was taken off and the "big pieces" scraped into the tray, I thought I might speed the process of cleaning later if I rinsed it a bit while it was hot. So I took a juice glass full of water and poured it over the grill while it was still sizzling. It was amazing. Almost everything rinsed off. This spatters a bit, so close the lid after pouring the water. Then, again while hot, I took a wet paper towel and quickly wiped the grill, both top and bottom. And it was completely clean -- after about 45 seconds. When cooled, this takes 10 minutes for a "messy" meal. Since I made this discovery, my GF Grill has never been cool for more than a day!(Dave P.)

Hi, :+) I have a big George Foreman grill. I really like it but I got tired of cleaning it. The other problem that I did not like was that the drippings would seep under the grill and not all fall into the drip catcher. This made a mess of my counter. I solved both these problems by putting a sheet of Aluminum Foil across the bottom cooking plate. I then spray the foil with a non-cooking spray. I can then shape the foil to hit the drip catcher eliminating the counter mess. After I am done cooking I remove the foil and wipe off the top cooking plate and that is it. :+) (Harry W., a very messy chef)

I have the simplest method for cleaning my GF Grill. When I take the food off the grill and while still hot, I simply lay a soaking wet paper towel covering the bottom surface and close the lid. Be sure the catching tray is under the machine since the moisture from the towel will run off. After a few minutes take the paper towel off and wipe the grill surface clean with another towel. Voila, it's ready for it's next use. I never use the scraper and nothing ever sticks. (Julie G. & K. M)

Grill recipes::

Here is a recipe from Laura S. for Awesome Teriyaki Chicken Breast.
Marinate the chicken in garlic powder (at least a tablespoon, more if you are a garlic fan), ~3 tablespoons of sugar, ~1 teaspoon of ginger, some black pepper, a little salt and 1/4 cup of lite soy sauce. Marinate for about an hour and grill on the George Foreman Grill. Yummy!